What are you reading this summer? On my bookshelf I am loaded down with good intentions. I have finally finished Mark Twain’s Roughing It, a nice overview of life and travel methods in the west in the 1860’s, when gold and silver mining was rampant in California and Nevada. This book also includes Twain’s exploration of the island of Hawaii and the start of his speaking career in San Francisco. My next Twain travel exploration book is The Innocents Abroad (AKA The New Pilgrim’s Progress) published in 1869.

To make my summer reading special, I’ve tried sitting in different places around my home. Recently I spent a few happy hours reading on the top deck beneath the oak trees that surround our home. A change of environment can make reading a book unique and special. Of course outside reading has its own challenges but it can prove to be a good experience.

2 responses to “Summer Reading”

I just finished reading LuAnne Rice’s novel, “The Perfect Summer”, which I suppose just from the title is the perfect summer-reading book. I was amazed at the author’s masterful character portrayal, creative descriptive writing of the settings, and the advanced plot development that kept you engaged throughout the book. The irony is that the summer described in the novel is about as antithetical to perfect as you could possibly get, but the following summer (never described) could be imagined in the readers’ minds as being perfect. I loved every word of this book, and was sorry to see it end. I re-read several portions of it. The characters are unforgettable.